BY: CLAIRE KIM
With the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics live this Friday, fans all over the world are getting ready to cheer on the biggest global event in the sport industry. From figure skating to ice hockey, to jumping off slopes and landing jumps, I can not be more thrilled to see what the Olympics has in stock. Usually, my family and I take time out of our busy schedules to check the updates via our phones or smartwatches to follow up on our favorite athletes. Watching the live show is great and all but sometimes it seems like it is a waste of time and a way for us to get bored very quickly.
One of the biggest downsides of watching the Olympics on television is because it gets repetitive and tiresome to watch after a while. The continuous usage of clips and recaps during the program places viewers in a position where they start to become uninterested in the live show.
As I was reading about the use of AR (augmented reality) to portray the athletes in a new dimension, my curiosity began to rise greatly. It’s exciting to see how AR can be used to portray athletes at angles we’ve never seen before. With the Olympics becoming more advanced in technology, I can definitely see a new era of television that showcases precision and accuracy more clearly and in-depth.
One of my favorite sports to watch in the Olympics is figure skating because I get to witness dancing on ice which I’ve always dreamed of part-taking in. Just imagining how close I can see my favorite skaters landing a triple-lutz gives me chills. Being able to witness athletes in an all-around 360 view brings television to a whole nother level that I’ve always wanted to see.
It seems like AR is a trend that just keeps getting better and better. With entertainment at its most developed state, I wonder what AR can bring to our doors this year.
claire kim. 